William promises to help ex-serviceman in need of new false leg

THE DUKE of Cambridge promised to intervene after hearing from a rough sleeper yesterday that his friend’s prosthetic leg had been accidentally thrown out with the rubbish.

William, who has been patron of the homeless charity Centrepoint since 2005, was meeting service-users at The Beacon Project, in Mansfield, which offers a refuge to rough sleepers.

Many of those at the centre have battled drug and alcohol addictions, and the Duke heard frank accounts of their struggles and successes.

“You can’t fix alcohol, drug addiction or mental health in a few weeks – it takes years,” he said.

His offer of help was directed at ex-serviceman Delroy Carr, 58, who had to have his right leg amputated above the knee after injecting heroin, 11 years ago.

His friend, Daniel Walker, had told William that he had lost Mr Carr’s false limb after taking it home to adjust it.

“He’s never had one since – nine years,” he said.

The Duke told Mr Carr he would personally ensure his details reached the specialist Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre for ex-service personnel, which makes and fits prosthetic limbs. William visited the facility at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough, earlier this month, and is patron of its charity.

“I’ll get them the details about your leg, and make sure we pass that on,” he told Mr Carr, who once served with the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, but now gets about on crutches.

Afterwards, he said of the Royal visitor: “He’s a good man. I wouldn’t have expected him to know as much as he does – he seems very well informed and genuinely seems interested, not like he’s putting it on.”

In a conversation with workers, William spoke of how other service users had told him of their battles with drug addiction.

He said: “The guys were saying coming off heroin is the hardest thing they’ve had to do, that’s the draw (of it), it’s just so debilitating.”